I take it very easy in my '90 Westy automatic. Never floor it away from stops, cruise at 55-60 mph, and climb long grades by shifting down into second and maintaining 3,400 to 3,800 rpms, rather than keeping it floored at 2,800 to 3,000 rpms for the same road speed. I too have noticed that I get better mileage at some altitude, like I-40 across AZ and NM where the same driving habits will get me 20mpg. At lower elevations the best I can get is 18+ With 166,000 miles on it I can see mileage dropping a little, but in eleven years and 161,500 miles that I've owned it my total mileage--every tank of gas I've put into it--is 17.0. On-the-road mileage seems close to what it always has been, but I see a noticeable drop in around-town mileage now. The most recent tune-up and air and fuel filter changes didn't seem to make much of a difference. |
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